An Introduction to Python

Instructor: Matilda Asuzu

Contact: matildadigital+edu@gmail.com

Class Overview

• Background of Python
• Variables and Printing
• Take Home Exercise

Who am I?

• Started learning Python in 2015.
• Teaching introductory Python since 2016.
• UX Engineering Intern at Occipital
• Use Python for Django

What to Expect

• Code along
• Discussion
• Take-home exercise

What's expected

• Please ask questions early and frequently 
• Be prepared to answer questions in class
• Practice and participate

Why learn Python?

Learn Python because...

• General purpose programming language
• Resembles English
• Mature language
• Interpreted
• Large community

Let's Code!

Write Your Code Here

https://repl.it/languages/python3

Variables

• variable - a location in a computer's memory that has a name
• value - the information stored in a variable
  
  Examples:
  my_variable
  my_variable = 1

Variables

Practice: Create a variable name appropriate for holding the number of students in a class.

Printing

• Displays text output of your code
• Useful for debugging

• Use the print() function
  
  Example:
  print(my_variable)
  print("Using the print function")

Printing

Practice: Use the print() function to display the words "Hello, world".

Printing Variables

• Useful for customizing output
• Useful for debugging code
  
  Example:
  first_name = "Linus"
  print("Hello, " + first_name)

Printing Variables

Practice: Display a customized greeting using a name stored in a variable. Feel free to be creative!

Homework

Homework

Research the different types of data that can be stored in Python variables. Then write some code that stores each data type in a variable. Print each variable.

Next Class Preview

Next Class

• Data types
• Math and logic operators

Questions?